Server rack

ABSTRACT

A server rack for holding a plurality of computer systems. In order to prevent the complex detachment of the cabling at the back when changing, maintaining or upgrading the individual computer systems, the server rack has a plugin apparatus ( 1 ) into which holding adapters ( 2 ) can be plugged which, in turn, can each hold a computer system. The consecutive slot numbers in the plugin apparatus are made available to the fitted computer systems as a location identifier.

The invention relates to a server rack for holding a plurality ofcomputer systems. To date, the computer systems have been permanentlyinstalled in a server rack and cabled or wired at the back. It islikewise known practice to integrate the computer systems into “slide-inunits” which are connected to the server rack at the side by means oftelescopic rails and can be pulled out toward the front in the manner ofa drawer for maintenance work or for conversion. The cabling is likewisearranged at the back again. When pulling it out, the system needs tohave the cables removed or there need to be special cable guides whichcarry the cables along as the system moves.

In the meantime, computer systems containing just one vertical module,“thin servers”, are being demanded on the market in order to match thetotal computer power in a computer network to the power requirements ofthe application programs through multiple use and to permit continuousgrowth of the network.

Given said physical shape for 19″ holding systems, the smaller computersystems have a height of 44.45 mm. However, the large number of suchsmall computer systems in a network entails the drawback that thecabling for the individual systems needs to be arranged in a tight spaceand thus becomes extremely confusing. This results in considerableproblems for maintenance work or when further computer systems areadded.

The invention is therefore based on the object of demonstrating asolution which simplifies the maintenance, replacement or addition of anew computer system in a server rack.

The invention achieves this object by means of a plugin apparatus forone or more computer systems, where one or more computer systems areheld in a respective holding adapter which, firstly, has the connectionsfor the computer systems and, secondly, has the connections for theplugin apparatus, so that the computer systems can be plugged into theplugin apparatus by the holding adapter without additional connections.This moves the cable connections to similar connections on the pluginapparatus.

Combining the plugin apparatus with the holding adapter therefore makesit possible to push single or a plurality of computer systems held in arespective holding adapter into the plugin apparatus and to removeit/them for exchange or for maintenance work without complex detachmentof the cabling at the back.

To this end, the holding adapter can be designed just for one computersystem, such as a 19″ computer system with a vertical module, a “thinserver”, but may also be designed for a plurality of thin servers or forlarger computer systems as well.

The holding adapter is advantageously designed such that it encloses thecomputer systems in the manner of a casing either just at the side orfully and has a frame at the back for the connections on the computersystem and on the plugin apparatus.

In line with one preferred embodiment, the plugin apparatus has alocality descriptor for each slot, which can be retrieved by anelectronic interface for the computer which is in this slot. Thelocality descriptors can be displayed to the maintenance personnel on ascreen, e.g. in the form of a graphic display, by suitable softwareprograms.

The locality descriptors are advantageously chosen such that aconsecutive number is assigned within the plugin apparatus to eachoccupiable slot either in increasing or decreasing order.

In one development, even when there are a plurality of pluginapparatuses inserted into the server rack, the locality descriptor ispassed on from one plugin apparatus to the next, and hence all occupiedslots are numbered in sequence over the entire server rack.

The invention is explained in more detail below using two exemplaryembodiments which are shown in the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of a server rack with a plugin apparatusand four holding adapters for thin servers,

FIG. 2 shows the server rack from FIG. 1 in a view from behind,

FIG. 3 shows the plugin apparatus with a holding adapter in an obliqueview from behind,

FIG. 4 shows a holding adapter for thin servers in an oblique view fromthe front, and

FIG. 5 shows the view in FIG. 4 from above.

FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of a server rack, the side covers for theserver rack not being shown. Inside, the server rack holds a pluginapparatus 1 into which four holding adapters 2 have been inserted. Theplugin apparatus 1 comprises side flanges 3 and a backplane 4 into whichthe holding adapters 2 can be plugged. At the side of the backplane 4,there are also flanges 5 for attaching the plugin apparatus to theserver rack.

FIG. 2 shows a view from obliquely behind the server rack shown in FIG.1.

The side flanges 5, firstly, allow the plugin apparatus 1 to be fixedand, secondly, provide a space for the cabling between a plurality ofplugin apparatuses and also for supplying the cables to the pluginapparatus.

FIG. 3 shows an oblique rear view of a plugin apparatus in isolation.The holding adapter 2 is merely inserted into a corresponding slot inthe plugin apparatus 1.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the plugin apparatus has four slotsarranged one above the other, with just the top slot being occupied by aholding adapter. At the side, the holding adapter is screwed to the sideflanges 3 using corresponding holes, or telescopic rails are arrangedbetween the holding adapter 2 and the flanges 3 and can in turn be usedto screw in the holding adapters.

FIG. 4 shows the holding adapter 2 in isolation. The holding adapter 2has a casing-like region 6 which encloses the computer system which isto be held. Attached to the casing-like region 6 at the side is aU-shaped frame 7 which has an end face 8, which is spaced apart from thecasing-like region 6 and is in the form of a plugin adapter section. Onthe inside of the end face 8, it is possible to connect the computersystem which is to be held, and the outside of the end face 8 is in aform such that it can be plugged in to the plugin apparatus 1.

FIG. 5 shows the holding adapter 2 from FIG. 4 in a view from above. Onthe inside of the end face 8 there is a plugin adapter section 9 intowhich it is possible to plug the regular male connectors for connectingthe computer systems. Arranged on the outside of the end face 8 is amale connector 10 which interacts with a female connector in the pluginapparatus 1. On the inside of the end face 8, it is possible to makecontact with further connections 11 which likewise have male connectors12 on the outside of the end face 8, said male connectors 12 interactingwith further female connectors in the plugin apparatus 1.

As shown by way of example in FIGS. 1 to 5, one plugin apparatus canhold a plurality of computer systems having just one vertical module.Similarly, it is also possible for a plugin apparatus to hold computersystems having a plurality of vertical modules or a mixture of computersystems having just one and computer systems having a plurality ofvertical modules, provided that the type and number of computerinterfaces are identical.

1. A server rack for holding a plurality of computer systems,comprising: a plugin apparatus (1) for one or more computer systems, aholding adapter (2) for retaining therein one or more computer systems,wherein said holding adapter (2) is secured to said plugin apparatus,said holding adapter including connections for the computer system(s)and connections for said plugin apparatus, so that the computersystem(s) can be plugged into the plugin apparatus by the holdingadapter (2).
 2. The server rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein theholding adapter (2) is designed for 19″ computer systems with one ormore 44.45 mm vertical modules.
 3. The server rack as claimed in claim1, wherein the holding adapter (2) encloses the computer system in themanner of a casing and has a U-shaped frame (7) for the connections onthe computer system(s) or on the plugin apparatus (1).
 4. The serverrack as claimed in claim 1, wherein each slot in the plugin apparatus(1) has a location identifier which can be retrieved by an electronicinterface associated with the computer system.
 5. The server rack asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the location identifier is numberedconsecutively from beginning to end at the slots within a pluginapparatus (1).
 6. The server rack as claimed in claim 4, wherein aplugin apparatus is connected to an adjacent plugin apparatus such thatthe slots are numbered in sequence over a plurality of pluginapparatuses.